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November 7, 2005

Condo Boom Around McCarren Park

mccarren
Lots of pricing details were included in Sunday's NY Post article on the area around McCarren Park in Greenpoint, oops, we mean SoHo. ("It's going to be a hub," says developer Anthony Gurino. "It's going to be a second Manhattan, a SoHo.")

  • 49-61 Engert Avenue: Traditional two-bedroom units from $649,000, two-bedroom garden duplexes from $725,000 and three-bedroom penthouse units starting at $955,000. Slated for occupancy in December, the building has already sold 19 of its 24 units.

  • 510 Manhattan Avenue: 32-unit luxury building, also being developed by Tahoe, with 28 two-bedroom rentals ($2,500 a month) and four duplex penthouse condos ($1.2 million each), scheduled for occupancy in the fall of 2006.

  • 297 Driggs: The building features one-bedroom units starting at $569,000 and two-bedrooms with private outdoor space going for up to $1.1 million. Twelve of the 14 apartments will have balconies overlooking McCarren Park.

  • 610 Union Avenue:19-unit building of one-bedroom apartments. With upscale features like 16-foot ceilings, granite countertops and private terraces, units will start at $569,000 and top out at around $800,000.

  • 50 Bayard: 58-unit warehouse conversion slated to come to market in late 2005 or early 2006. Designed by Andres Escobar, the development features one- and two-bedroom units, plus four penthouses enclosed in four glass-and-steel stories added onto the top of the structure. The building will feature parking and a doorman and concierge.

    • McCarren Park Area Booming [NY Post]
    Breaking $1,000 psf in Greenpoint [Brownstoner]
    McCarren Park Development 3 [Brownstoner]
    McCarren Park Photo by Jesse Ultra




    Posted by Brownstoner at 9:33 AM | Comments (25)
    Categories: Development

    Comments

    Speaking as someone who lives within spitting distance of McCarren "Park" (a laughably optimistic description of a dusty, albeit recently renovated, track and some handball courts), I just don't get it. There are maybe twenty trees; hardly the scenic oasis the developers are billing it as.

    Posted by: judes at November 7, 2005 10:08 AM

    Having no stake in the area myself, I think it's actually got some potential. As the money moves in, it won't take a lot to clean up the park, will it?

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 7, 2005 10:59 AM

    Too bad the whole damn neighborhood smells like poop from the sewage treatment plants. Ah, I guess you can count the blackened gum circles on the sidewalks to distract yourself...

    Posted by: Former Greenpointer at November 7, 2005 11:14 AM

    I used to live right there & I can tell you it sucks. Sandwiched between the BQE & the sewage treatment plants, it is a really depressing landcape-- and a stinky one, too.

    I have little doubt that they'll make this a Soho outpost, just because hipsters to live near galleries & boutique-y crap on Bedford, etc.-- but the place itself is a big drag.

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 7, 2005 11:28 AM

    The should call it SoFU - short for "So Freakin Ugly"

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 7, 2005 11:39 AM

    I think the area's got potential. Manhattan ave is a lively street with lots of polish restaurants and is refresshingly nonboutiquey, and the G stop is close. The park (which looks to be a reclaimed swamp from old maps) though has seen better days and the fenced-off depression era swimming pool is...well, depressing. I wonder what's up with the pool. They should either reopen it or bulldoze it.

    Posted by: carolyn at November 7, 2005 11:42 AM

    Another thought...We went right by the sewage plant on Greenpoint av yesterday on our way to eat and there's been some major construction going on at the plant. To render it less stinky? To increase capacity? I dunno, but it didn't smell like it used to and yesterday was a warm day.

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 7, 2005 11:47 AM

    That last annonymous was mine.

    Posted by: carolyn at November 7, 2005 11:48 AM

    sewage plant can never be rendered less stinky. i lived on bayard street. funny that i thought the area was cool then with the abandoned pool area and funky industrial bldngs and italian clubhouse on the corner. i'm sure i will hate it when the developers are done sterilizing everything and running out all the things that make a place unique. then add the new stock of tennants forecasted and it will be painful to even think about.

    Posted by: TT at November 7, 2005 12:27 PM

    I think Curbed reported recently that there's work going on at the sewage treatment plant so that it won't smell as bad -- probably because people with million-dollar condos don't figure poop smell should come with the deal.

    In all seriousness, I just moved out of Greenpoint (to Cobble Hill) after many years there, and the psychic relief of getting out is much bigger than I even anticipated. I realize that I almost felt trapped in my apartment. Nowhere to go outside for a stroll or to sit and relax without being accosted by dirt, congestion, garbage, noise, smell...

    It's like this: Would you rather work at 37th and 7th, or across from Central Park? I appreciate that some want to consider it a "burgeoning" neighborhood, and yeah, Williamsburg has a lot of restaurants now, but there are things there that cannot be fixed: Horrible housing stock, intense overcrowding, chemical pollution, soot and dirt from being in the crotch of the BQE, LIE and Midtown Tunnel, etc. If I had 800K to drop on a condo, I'd be awfully skeptical. Take a look around!

    Posted by: Former Greenpointer at November 7, 2005 12:32 PM

    I use regularly the park, although I live 15 blocks away, and I love that neighborhood, the park, and SOME of the buildings that are going up there, so I think it IS worth to take a look there if you look to buy now.

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 7, 2005 3:06 PM

    I live in Greenpoint and actually love it. It is kind of dirty and ugly but also has a lot of charm. That said, the reason I live here is I rent a 1250 sq ft apt for $1300. If I had 800K to drop on an apartment I would do it far far from McCarren Park. Seriously, these prices seem obsurd. You can currently by a 3,000sf 3 unit building for the price of one of these 2 bedroom apts. Hipsters have their parents money to drive up rentals around Bedford, but when it comes to dropping one million on an apartment, higher end buyers will not be impressed with the McCarren Park area.

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 7, 2005 4:45 PM

    i love mccarren park.

    Posted by: suzy at November 7, 2005 5:19 PM

    There is much nicer park on the other side of McGuinnes. I dont know the name but it is Betwween Nassau and Driggs on Russell street.
    It is much smaller but so much nicer and the whole area is better.
    If i have to live in G-Point I would move there.
    This park is kid of secret place, probably becouse this area is far from subway

    Posted by: malymis at November 7, 2005 6:07 PM

    Malymis - that's McGoldrick Park, and it is very nice. On the down side, its also closer to the sewage plant, which does (still) stink. But McGoldrick is a special place, if you can get a parkside house. Remincscent of St. Johns park (once upon a time) in Tribeca, or Gramercy Park (which is obviously in a different league).

    As for the plant, it will soon look a lot nicer, with its tiled "digester eggs" and all. And it will be covered, which a) will be less stinky (no massive vats of open air sewage) and b) was actually planned and implemented long before there was rezoning or a real estate boom in Greenpoint.

    And yeah, McCarren is a dustbowl. It will probably get better, as a result of money promised from the rezoning (none of which has yet to appear). On the other hand, prospective buyers may want to look at a) the Parks Dept RFP for a concert venue at McCarren Pool (6,000 people, a few times a month), and b) the ongoing lawsuits regarding the Mobil spill and other interesting puddles known to exist under some of these parkside developments.

    And proximity to the G train should NOT be a selling point for luxury condo living!!

    Posted by: Halden at November 7, 2005 10:19 PM

    ***And proximity to the G train should NOT be a selling point for luxury condo living!!***

    One last thing and I'll stop, I swear: In a bunch of ads for "luxury" rentals and condos in Greenpoint, I've been seeing the phrase, "Steps from the Manhattan G train!" Very clever way of putting it, no? I suppose those not familiar with the area won't realize it's the Manhattan AVENUE ENTRANCE to the G train, which does not go into the city. "Oh look, honey! It's right by a train into Manhattan!"

    Makes me laugh every time.

    Posted by: Former Greenpointer at November 8, 2005 8:29 AM

    I like G train becouse it does not go to Manhattan, it is kind of diffrent train, maybe less usefull but it is going to a lot of cool places (smith st, FG/CH, wiliamsburg, G point)
    Maks no sence to sell it as a Manhattan train i have to agree but I am tired of all this people complaining about G train.

    Posted by: malymis at November 8, 2005 1:22 PM


    I wish there was more topless sunbathing by some of those large breasted trust fund babes in the park! In Europe everybody does it. Why not in Brooklyn too?

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 8, 2005 11:17 PM

    Another happy greenpointer here (though I suspect that my contentment has something to do with my beautiful green backyard and those of my neighbors)-- just wanted to add that rumor has it that the derelict state of McCarren park isn't for lack of funds, etc. but because of incompetent, corrupt management by the specific official in charge (I forget the name of the position.) I dont' know if thats true or not, but in light of the bizzare goings-on by Parks that I've observed over the last several years, it makes a lot of sense. (Does anybody remember when they tried to plant grass seed on and around the playing fields over acres of incompletely-buried plastic landscaping mesh, and the mesh came up in pieces and blew around the neighborhood for weeks, like little tumbleweeds?)

    By the way, the sewer smell is much improved these days-- I rarely get a whiff.

    Posted by: Naomi at November 10, 2005 1:53 PM

    Recently I've heard numbers as high as 20,000 for the number of condominium units scheduled to land on the market in the next two years. I am having a hard time both, believing such a number can be accurate, and verifying that it is indeed to high. If anyone has a comment on this number and a solid source to review I would greatly appreciate that.

    On the same topic, if that number is anywhere near the correct one has anyone heard much about how the municipality plans to handle the morning and evening traffic demands on the already overcrowded L-train and our gridlocked Williamsburg Bridge? I see these as the main problems for real growth in this area. The rest seems realistically surrmountable with time and money flowing into the neighborhood.

    Posted by: Anonymous at November 25, 2005 11:31 PM

    for all of you who don't understand the high prices around mccarren park sprouting up - and no, it's not that I'm excited about this - It's 5 minutes from downtown! It practically IS downtown and every developer and prospective buyer knows that. Let's say someone has half a million to drop on new digs; do you think they'll spend it in on the far reaches of Manhattan for a cramped studio many blocks from subways and decent grocery stores or in the middle-of-nowhere-brooklyn (why live there at all??), OR along a green park near fabulous boutiques, restaurants and a river front in Greenpoint? Um, I don't think this is rocket science. I wish I could afford it.

    Posted by: carrie Leuci at January 9, 2006 4:22 PM

    you snobs who dis mccarren park and the w-burg/greenpoint 'hood should just stay in manhattan with your homogenized glass towers, starbucks and whole foods. we don't need any more yuppie assholes driving our rents up and ruining the neighborhood

    Posted by: alex at November 27, 2006 10:35 AM

    The comments on this post disrespects a really vibrant and wonderful community. Besides many of you sound like a bunch of pus%ys. Bit&ching about a sewage plant and neighborhood park. How can you possibly evaluate a community on the superficial criteria of spoiled not so rich white kids (many of whom are using their parents money to support their lifestyle in NY). Do you really thing the BQE is more smog spewing than the parkways that ring Manhattan? Not to mention the gridlock traffic in througout Midtown & lower Manhattan. In Greenpoint you will notice things like young and old people, neighborhood businesses, a great youth soccer league, and diversity (class too!). 20 years ago people in Greenpoint and Williamsburg were fighting for safer streets, better schools, environmental justice. Thanks to the "housing boom" we got stuck with crappy developments and, sorry to say, folks like many of you -- superficial, slightly indifferent, jerks. Please leave for Manhattan and tell your friends and family not to buy the crappy condos. It would really help the community.... sorry for the angry rant.

    Posted by: Anonymous at December 7, 2006 8:30 PM

    we bought a place at Aqua and we're not rich. i'm a school teacher! brooklyn is more afforable than manhattan to own property and not give your entire paycheck to a landlord. we saved our 10% down! it's hard to read sweeping judgements about who will be moving into these buildings. though i don't like the height of some of them, i do believe the tenants are going to create more businesses in the area and bring community to an area that was once desolate.

    Posted by: Anonymous at April 24, 2007 11:46 AM

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    Posted by: Anonymous at August 4, 2007 1:43 AM

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